I would say that it's not a big deal that an elite 6'5" athlete can dunk...but I've played with a few guys that are 6'5-6'7" and they simply couldn't dunk if their life depended on it. They were football players, and had a good vertical, but they just didn't have the coordination with the ball to run, jump, and dunk. Believe it not...it does take practice.Same goes for people that assume that all tall people would be great at basketball. Height and coordination are not always the best of friends...

39Smooth:seelorq: 39Smooth: seelorq: I can't dunk. But my Terps just won an awesome game, having dominated Duke throughout, and there are no NCAA threads right now. So suck it, Duke.

/somewhat heartfelt apologies for the threadjack, but since there are only 10 comments so far, fark it.

As a fellow Terp, I approve.

Usain Bolt is fast.

Thanks, 39. That late open court dunk was pretty sweet...and huge underdog wins over Duke...even sweeter.

Usain Bolt threw one down!

I could barely sit down through the whole thing! It got kinda scary at the end there. I'm in college park right now (grad school) things are getting pretty crazy....

Go Terps!

Back 'atcha. I was a grad student there (lived on Calvert 1.5 blocks from Metro in an attic) when we got to the Final Four in '01 and the NCAA title in '02. That was really fun. I remember screaming out of my window that night of the title win, and most of the neighborhood replied. So, enjoy tonight. Duke is (was?) our biggest game...and I love to see the Terps take 'em down at home with that crowd. Vert satisfying.

good win for the terps tonight. home wins in the ACC are a necessity. maryland dominated the boards and that was it. the only people that thought this was a rivalry game were maryland fans. sorry. enjoy being in the bottom of the big 16 or whatever.

/you won't win any of your fancy foosball games//UNC is the only rival of duke

good win for the terps tonight. home wins in the ACC are a necessity. maryland dominated the boards and that was it. the only people that thought this was a rivalry game were maryland fans. sorry. enjoy being in the bottom of the big 16 or whatever.

/you won't win any of your fancy foosball games//UNC is the only rival of duke

I agree the Duke rivalry is kind of overblown to say the least. However, I'm glad more people are realizing this and stop using it to get on Maryland for leaving for the Big Ten. There really weren't any significant rivalries for Maryland in the ACC. Let the NC folks have at eachother. I think the move will help Maryland in the long run.

good win for the terps tonight. home wins in the ACC are a necessity. maryland dominated the boards and that was it. the only people that thought this was a rivalry game were maryland fans. sorry. enjoy being in the bottom of the big 16 or whatever.

/you won't win any of your fancy foosball games//UNC is the only rival of duke

I'll just leave this here, Usain Bolt. Call it what you will:

From the Wikipedia entry: "Duke-Maryland Rivalry"

While Duke University and University of North Carolina are considered to be each other's primary rivals, during the early 2000s the Duke - Maryland games had national implications, including a game in 2001 where Duke and Maryland met in the Final Four. Since the late 1990s, the MD-Duke rivalry has been one of the most intense in all of sports. From 2000 to 2010, Maryland was 8-12 against Duke, including going 7-6 vs Duke in one particularly heated stretch. Maryland's best recent stretch vs Duke was a 5-2 record over the Blue Devils from 2004-2007.

That nature of the rivalry between Duke and Maryland is allegedly disputed by the Duke fan base. While the Carolina-Duke rivalry is considered originated from geographic proximity and shared history, Duke fans claim that Maryland is not a rival.[2] However, several former Duke players have cited Maryland as the team with which they shared their most exciting games with. Maryland fans traditionally see the Duke game as the largest game of the year, and have often rioted in College Park after home games, regardless of the outcome.[3] Michael Wilbon, a sports journalist who writes for the Washington Post and ESPN, refers to the Duke-Md rivalry as, "One of the best rivalries in one of the best basketball leagues in the country."

the only reason they call it a rivalry is because of the 1 minute breakdown in 2001

Oh, come on. Did you even read the article? I mean, the bias is there, yes, but the two schools have played some heated games. Maryland may overhype it, and Duke may underhype it because they are the perennial favorite, but there is an undeniable history there. The atmosphere in tonight's game proves it...whether or not Dukies believe its a rivalry, the packed crowd and reaction after the Duke fail tonight prove that it is...or was. And I love watching a #1 or #2 Duke team fall to Maryland.This wasn't the first time at all. Hence the rivalry...or whatever you want to call it, or not. If losing to a "non-rival" makes you feel less bad, then so be it. You still lost.

the only reason they call it a rivalry is because of the 1 minute breakdown in 2001

Oh, come on. Did you even read the article? I mean, the bias is there, yes, but the two schools have played some heated games. Maryland may overhype it, and Duke may underhype it because they are the perennial favorite, but there is an undeniable history there. The atmosphere in tonight's game proves it...whether or not Dukies believe its a rivalry, the packed crowd and reaction after the Duke fail tonight prove that it is...or was. And I love watching a #1 or #2 Duke team fall to Maryland.This wasn't the first time at all. Hence the rivalry...or whatever you want to call it, or not. If losing to a "non-rival" makes you feel less bad, then so be it. You still lost.

DID I READ THE ARTICLE?

the article wasn't about duke and maryland. it was about some track star traveling and making a dunk

Yeah, not all tall guys can jump (I knew a 6'5" hockey player who couldn't jump higher than his skates even though he was a premiere athlete - in hockey) but Bolt's sport develops explosive strength in the same muscle groups that are involved in jumping and he's tall. No surprise here.